Student Athletes Participate in Annual UCC Track and Field Meet

Competition and camaraderie were on full display at the Kent Catholic Schools Athletic Council annual track and field meet on Wednesday.

Over 500 student athletes between Grades 3 to 8 from St. Clair Catholic and Conseil scolaire catholique Providence took part in the event at Ursuline College Chatham.

While the meet is a celebration of athletics, Monsignor Uyen Principal Americo Todino emphasized the day is about more than ribbons and results.  

“It’s about competing, enjoying the day and meeting friends from other schools,” says Todino, who is a representative on KCSAC. “I participated in this event as a child and made lifelong friends from other schools, and you have to remember there was no social media back then. It was just from this type of event. I still see that happening with our students today and I think that’s the best part about it.”

In addition to being a fun-filled day of athletics and sportsmanship, four records were broken.

Grade 8 student Brynlie Myslik of St. Micheal’s Ridgetown broke the shot put record not once, but twice in the same day.

Myslik set a record on her first throw but then broke her own mark on her third attempt with a throw of 11.36 meters.

“I felt really amazed,” says Myslik. “I didn’t know I could throw that far. I had some faith in myself because of practice at school. It didn’t look far, but it was far. I felt good.”

This is the first year Myslik has competed in shot put at UCC and admitted it took a little bit of convincing from her teacher to try the event.

Grade 4 student Jeri Atoyebi of St. Teresa Calcuta broke the 200-metre record with a time of 30.49 seconds.

He thanked teachers Mrs. Lozon and Mr. McCarthy for encouraging him.

“They helped me because I wasn’t that motivated when I first started doing track and they motivated me,” says Atoyebi.

Grade 7 student Sierra Langille-Raspburg of St. Angela Merici set a record in the 400-metre with a time of 1.05.43 while Grade 6 student Shaila Chawla of Ecole Sainte-Marie set a record in the same event running 1.06.97.

A special tribute is extended to retiring teachers Brendan Spence, Dennis Segren, and Patrick Demeter, who as long-standing members of KCSAC have played an important role in organizing the annual track and field meet.

“They have been part of this in so many ways,” says Todino. “All three have been the sports council chair in the past. They’ve taken on any role that has been asked of them, whether it’s committee member, whether it’s the sound system, or whether it’s the set-up crew. There are no egos. It’s just about working together to make this day work for our student community.”